One problem I keep encountering on social media is that sometimes people make posts that they want to be a statement/venting opportunity and other people misread them (not usually deliberately) as conversation prompts/arenas to express their own feelings

There’s definitely a balance between “don’t post on a public platform if you don’t want people to engage!” and “it’s not cool to try to take up space in someone else’s expression of emotion”/“make your own post on your own profile if you want to talk about yourself”

The trickiest instances where people (often unintentionally) make other people feel like there’s an emotional competition happening. One common one right now is if someone posts “people who live alone are struggling” and the response is “people with kids are struggling too!”

Of course everyone is struggling in unique ways. And of course it’s ok to articulate your experience. But it’s about how you position it, but especially if you’re responding to someone you don’t know well. That type of response feels invalidating (even if meant in commiseration)

As @thetrudz often says, social media can create a false sense of relationship. I’m not talking about actual relationships built on here! I’m talking about when people feel like knowing personal stuff about you from your feed creates a false sense of intimacy

There are things that I might say to a friend but not a stranger. But on here, lines are blurred, context gets fuzzy, etc